Education

CS Machogu expresses concern after 48,000 candidates score grade E

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu at a past event. (Photo: File)

By Paul Aginnah | Monday, January 8, 2024

The 2023 KCSE candidates have a 30-day window to appeal their results.

A total of 48,174 candidates scored a mean grade of E in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam.

While releasing the results in Eldoret on Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu expressed concern over the high number of students who scored the lowest grade.

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The number of those who scored grade E translates to five percent of the number of candidates who sat the exam.

“It pains me that a large number of candidates still ended up scoring a mean grade of E even though the ministry used a more flexible system of competing for the final overall results,” he said.

The CS directed the directorate of quality assurance to work with field officers and teachers to investigate the grade E cases in each county and submit a report within one month.

He also noted that 1,216 candidates got straight As. Out of this, over 65 percent are male candidates.

Some other 201,133 candidates scored C+ and above in the KCSE exam which is an improvement compared to 2022 where 173, 345 students got grade C+ and above.

Additionally, he revealed that 4,113 candidates were allegedly involved in exam irregularities, with the results of four candidates being cancelled.

Appealing the results

Machogu emphasised that the 2023 KCSE candidates have a 30-day window to appeal their results.

According to the CS, this will ensure that any potential discrepancies or concerns can be thoroughly addressed, allowing for a fair and comprehensive review of the examination outcomes.

Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) Chairperson Julius Nyabundi, on the other hand, stressed the importance of the appeals process, providing reassurance to candidates and their families.

Further, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia revealed that 36,505 teachers will be promoted, with 17,914 positions being filled by primary school teachers and 18,591 by secondary school teachers.

Out of the 899,453 candidates who sat the 2023 KCSE Examination, 450,554 were male, while 448,899 were females.

This was an improvement of both genders compared to 2022 where 443,644 were males and 437,772 were females.